Celebrate Valentine’s Day this year with Red Velvet Cupcakes. The deep red sponge is topped with a vanilla cream cheese frosting and will melt on your tongue.  These can easily be made Gluten Free so no one misses out on the celebrations. Note that I have used Cider vinegar in this recipe. It is sweeter than the white wine vinegar that some recipes recommend.

• 60 grams/ 3 tablespoons butter
• 150 grams/ ¾ cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 10 grams/4 teaspoons cocoa powder
• 20 millilitres/ 4 teaspoons red liquid food colouring
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 120 millilitres/ ½ cup buttermilk
• 150 grams/ 1 cup plain flour
• ½ teasp salt
• ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
• 1 ½ teaspoons cider vinegar

Preheat the oven to 170C/325F

Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy and then add the egg and continue beating until incorporated.

In a separate bowl combine the cocoa powder, red liquid food colouring and vanilla extract together to make smooth paste. Add this to your batter and mix thoroughly scraping the sides of the bowl if necessary. Turn down the speed of your mixer and add the buttermilk, flour and salt until you have a smooth batter. Next add the baking soda and cider vinegar and beat until well mixed in.

Use a muffin scoop to fill your paper cases ¾ full and bake in the preheated oven for 18 min. A skewer should come out cleanly when they are cooked.

This quantity of batter makes about 9 cupcakes or one 8 inch cake. You can double the batter to make a two layer heart shaped or round cake.

Decorate with the classic cream cheese frosting remember to double if you are making a cake.

• Classic Cream Cheese Frosting
• 300 grams/ 2 ½ cups minus 1 tablespoon of icing sugar
• 50g grams/ 3 ½ tablespoons butter
• 125 grams/ ½ cup / 4 ½ ounces  cream cheese
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
• Beat the cream cheese and butter together until incorporated then add the icing sugar. Cover your mixer with a clean tea towel to avoid the cloud of sugar that will be created when you begin to mix. Don’t overbeat as it can become runny. When the cupcakes are cold, spoon or pipe on the cream cheese frosting. Enjoy!

Make these gluten free by substituting the flour and baking powder with a GF variety. I like Dove’s Farm brand. Remember to include ¼ teaspoon of Xanthum gum.

Cheat:  Rather than buy a whole carton of buttermilk make it yourself by combining 235millilitres/1 cup milk with 1 teaspoon lemon juice. Allow it to sit for 20 minutes at room temperature.